Accounting for the Traffic in Africans: Transport Costs on Slaving Voyages

Relying mainly on the manuscript records of the Royal African Company, we explore the factors that contributed to the large gap between slave prices in Africa and the Caribbean. Twenty-two voyages from the mid-1680s are analyzed. These were conducted with hired ships and the payments to the shipowne...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	The Journal of economic history 2010-12, Vol.70 (4), p.940-963
Main Authors:	Eltis, David, Lewis, Frank D., McIntyre, Kimberly
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	17th century Africa Auctions Business structures Caribbean Cost efficiency Costs Currency Discount rates Freight Gold Ivory Morbidity Mortality Payments Prices Sales Science history Slave trade Slavery Slaves Social sciences Trade Transportation costs
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	Relying mainly on the manuscript records of the Royal African Company, we explore the factors that contributed to the large gap between slave prices in Africa and the Caribbean. Twenty-two voyages from the mid-1680s are analyzed. These were conducted with hired ships and the payments to the shipowners and captains were recorded. In addition to transport costs, mortality and morbidity had a big effect on slave prices; while the earnings from the trade in gold and ivory had a moderating influence. The effect of mortality and transport costs on slave prices during the eighteenth century is also explored.
ISSN:	0022-0507 1471-6372